NHL/hockey TV ratings 2024-25

[Reaser]

-NHL on ESPN avg viewership Friday-

Golden Knights-Stars: 424k

 

[S E P H]

-NHL on ESPN avg viewership Friday-

Golden Knights-Stars: 424k

That was a pretty late game too.

 

[4mats4]

That was a pretty late game too.

Yeah that's a solid showing for a Western Conference game

 

[Coinneach]

(via @jheaps4)

NHL on ABC:

January:

Rangers-Capitals: 1.1M
Rangers-Blackhawks: 454k
Bruins - Panthers 1,05M

February":

Blackhawks-Panthers: 723k
Rangers-Bruins: 1.1M
Red Wings-Lightning ???
Golden Knights-Bruins 1.3M


Cable:

October:

Blues-Kraken: 348k (ESPN)
Bruins-Panthers: 790k (ESPN, non-exclusive)
Blackhawks-Utah: 522k (ESPN)
Rangers-Penguins: 467k (TNT+truTV)
Avalanche-Golden Knights 315k (TNT+truTV)
Wild-Blues: 417k (ESPN)
Flyers-Oilers: 333k (ESPN)
Sabres-Penguins: 512k (TNT+truTV)
Bruins-Avalanche: 340k (TNT+truTV)
Capitals-Flyers: 477k (ESPN)
Avalanche-Kraken: 422k (ESPN)
Kings-Golden Knights: 245k (ESPN)
Flyers-Capitals: 410k (TNT+truTV)
Rangers-Capitals: 412k (ESPN)
Kings-Sharks: 186k (ESPN)
Golden Knights-Kings: 109k (TNT+truTV)

November:

Red Wings-Blackhawks: 411k (TNT+truTV)
Red Wings-Penguins: 354k (TNT, non-exclusive)
Kings-Avalanche 231k (TNT+truTV)
Hurricanes-Flyers: 237k (TNT, non-exclusive)
Predators-Kraken: 155k (TNT+truTV)
Capitals-Lightning: 268k (TNT)
Golden Knights-Avalanche: 207k (TNT, non-exclusive)
Penguins-Bruins: 483k (TNT+truTV)
Avalanche-Stars: 177k (TNT+truTV)

December:

Bruins-Blackhawks: 487k (TNT, non-exclusive)
Stars-Kings: 232k (TNT, non-exclusive)
Rangers-Sabres 478k (TNT+truTV)
Flyers-Red Wings 418k (TNT+truTV)
Panthers-Wild 161k (TNT, non-exclusive)
Blackhawks-Sabres: 245k (ESPN2)
Avalanche-Utah: 258k (ESPN2)
Stars-Blackhawks: 217k (ESPN)
Blues-Blackhawks: 920k (Winter Classic, TNT+truTV)

January:

Avalanche-Blackhawks 283k (TNT, non-exclusive)
Panthers - Utah 183k (TNT)
Red Wings-Panthers: 507k (ESPN)
Oilers-Avalanche 389k (ESPN)
Hurricanes-Sabres: 259k (TNT+truTV)
Oilers-Wild: 324k (TNT+truTV)
Panthers-Kings: 151k (TNT+truTV)
Golden Knights-Stars: 424k (ESPN)
Flyers-Devils: 253k (TNT+truTV)
Penguins-Utah: 138k (TNT+truTV, non-exclusive)

February:

Sharks-Kraken: 175k (ESPN)
Bruins-Rangers: 537k (TNT+truTV)
Oilers-Blackhawks: 217k (TNT+truTV)

 

[Reaser]

Hey Reaser, you dont get the Prime numbers anymore? It was interesting to see

I missed this. Yeah, getting *any* Canadian #'s is like pulling teeth. Last couple years I generally get e-mails with the #'s at the beginning of the season and then here and there in the playoffs.

U.S. keeps getting tougher, too.

More Nielsen delays than ever, and when I get the report it used to be cable Top-150 and now it's Top-100 so for example, last nights TNT games, only one of the three #'s we need made the Top-100:

----
-NHL on TNT avg viewership Wednesday-

Flyers-Devils: ?
-TNT: 213k
--truTV: ?

*Penguins-Utah: ?

*non-exclusive game
----

So now solely dependent on SMW hopefully posting the #'s in the next couple days, which SMW has been posting more NHL ratings lately but never a guarantee. Or I have to wait until next Tuesday for the full previous week Nielsen Cable #'s report and I can see everything that didn't make the Top-100. And by Tuesday i mean, if there's not a Nielsen delay which again, happens very often now when it used to just be a holiday thing. Last week was the first time I got it on Tuesday in over a month so ... Probably more likely won't see them until Wednesday since that's almost the new norm.

In other words, hopefully SMW gets them and puts them in their ratings article tomorrow/before the weekend.

 

[Greatzsky 99]

I missed this. Yeah, getting *any* Canadian #'s is like pulling teeth. Last couple years I generally get e-mails with the #'s at the beginning of the season and then here and there in the playoffs.

U.S. keeps getting tougher, too.

More Nielsen delays than ever, and when I get the report it used to be cable Top-150 and now it's Top-100 so for example, last nights TNT games, only one of the three #'s we need made the Top-100:

----
-NHL on TNT avg viewership Wednesday-

Flyers-Devils: ?
-TNT: 213k
--truTV: ?

*Penguins-Utah: ?

*non-exclusive game
----

So now solely dependent on SMW hopefully posting the #'s in the next couple days, which SMW has been posting more NHL ratings lately but never a guarantee. Or I have to wait until next Tuesday for the full previous week Nielsen Cable #'s report and I can see everything that didn't make the Top-100. And by Tuesday i mean, if there's not a Nielsen delay which again, happens very often now when it used to just be a holiday thing. Last week was the first time I got it on Tuesday in over a month so ... Probably more likely won't see them until Wednesday since that's almost the new norm.

In other words, hopefully SMW gets them and puts them in their ratings article tomorrow/before the weekend.

Thanks Reaser

Well not everything gets faster and better with technology it seems.

 

[Reaser]

-NHL on TNT avg viewership Wednesday-

Flyers-Devils: 253k
-TNT: 213k
--truTV: 40k

*Penguins-Utah: 138k

*non-exclusive game

 

[Reaser]

-NHL on ESPN avg viewership Thursday-

Sharks-Kraken: 175k

 

[Reaser]

-NHL on ABC avg viewership Saturday-

Blackhawks-Panthers: 723k

Rangers-Bruins: 1.1M

 

[Reaser]

The NYR-CHI game will hurt the ABC avg all season -smart, scheduling a game H2H w/NFL- but that outlier aside, games on ABC are off to a much better start this season than last.

Already 3 games over a million avg viewership, there was 5 all of last season on ABC.

Also, including cable, through Feb 1 those same 3 games over 1.0M this season, was 2 at the same point last season (Bedard debut on ESPN and Winter Classic on TNT/truTV.)

Cable is a lock to be down YoY. Broadcast -even with the NYR-CHI debacle- is trending well to be up YoY. Still months to go, obviously, but consistently hitting a million, for at least one game on a "ABC HKY Saturday" is a good start in the broadcast category of viewership.

 

[Greatzsky 99]

Cable avg so far 345k (45 games)
ABC 885k
Total 399k (50 games)

 

[joelef]

NHL viewership on ESPN and TNT is looking truly dreadful NHL viewership on ESPN and TNT is looking truly dreadful​

Needless to say, these figures do not look good for the NHL no matter how you slice them. ESPN has regularly been drawing nearly a million viewers recently for a brand new property like TGL. Even Thursday’s East-West Shrine Bowl on NFL Network (a 25-0 thumping) outdrew the NHL on ESPN by about 10,000 viewers


That hurts

 

[Reaser]

For clarity the "Leafs" games listed are actually the full 7pmET HNIC window #'s:

 

[Reaser]

-NHL on TNT avg viewership Wednesday-

Bruins-Rangers: 537k
-TNT: 478k
--truTV: 59k

Oilers-Blackhawks: 217k (TNT/truTV)

 

[Reaser]

4th straight ABC Hockey Saturday with at least one game going 1.0M+ ... that's a good streak.

 

[Greatzsky 99]

ABC Hockey Saturday Delivered Most-Viewed Game of the Season

ABC Hockey Saturday Delivered Most-Viewed Game of the Season

espnpressroom.com

It says 1.1 for doubleheader, so around 900k for the other game

 

[4mats4]

Very curious to see how this Canada-USA game rates on ABC

 

[Reaser]

ABC Hockey Saturday Delivered Most-Viewed Game of the Season

ABC Hockey Saturday Delivered Most-Viewed Game of the Season

espnpressroom.com

It says 1.1 for doubleheader, so around 900k for the other gameView attachment 976000

-NHL on ABC avg viewership Saturday-

Lightning-Red Wings: 934k

VGK-Bruins: 1.27M


Yeah, the 1.1M average between the two games was in the original graphic, been assuming we'd get the TB-DET # sometime today.

Reminder than Nielsen averages don't work exactly like that -though 900k'ish was a fair estimate.

You need the runtime to unroll the average viewership.

e.g. average viewership of 10k for 25 min, 25x10=250
2nd event avg viewership of 4k for 40 min, 40x4=160.

Look at that and think the average is 7k. But that'd be average of average.

Really, it's 410 total viewers divided by the total 65 min. So the average viewership of the two hypothetical events would be 6.31, which would be rounded down to 6k.

So again, you see 10 and 4 and think average is 7k but the Nielsen average viewership for those 2 events would be 6k.

 

[Nicky Santoro]

i am really worried this 4 nation cup will be a big flop and will draw 0 interest in U.S.

No U.S sports shows are even talking about it, and it starts tomorrow. i've heard many MTL'ers here calling this a joke of a tournament and most not interested in this gimmick. And MTL loves its hockey. Imagine ur avg US fan?? I bet 98% of americans don't even know this exists. Tons of great players not even there. No Russians (it's like the NHL is punishing them, what a joke).. no kucherov, no panarin, no Ovi, no Vasilevsky). it's not a real tournament. it's not getting the exposure at all in US right now. Hopefully it changes

I hate the scheduling. SAT 1pm in BOS. Finland/Sweden. will boston even fill the arena for that?? No bruins in this game either. Will they even watch?? Will there be 6,433 fans at the game??? And the SAT night matchup of CAN/US, is going head to head against the NBA all star skills challenge.

I just pray this won't turn out to be a flop in the US and everyone ignores this and makes NHL look like a joke. So far, it's leaning that way, BIG TIME.

 

[Nicky Santoro]

i am really worried this 4 nation cup will be a big flop and will draw 0 interest in U.S.

No U.S sports shows are even talking about it, and it starts tomorrow. i've heard many MTL'ers here calling this a joke of a tournament and most not interested in this gimmick. And MTL loves its hockey. Imagine ur avg US fan?? I bet 98% of americans don't even know this exists. Tons of great players not even there. No Russians (it's like the NHL is punishing them, what a joke).. no kucherov, no panarin, no Ovi, no Vasilevsky). it's not a real tournament. it's not getting the exposure at all in US right now. Hopefully it changes

I hate the scheduling. SAT 1pm in BOS. Finland/Sweden. will boston even fill the arena for that?? No bruins in this game either. Will they even watch?? Will there be 6,433 fans at the game??? And the SAT night matchup of CAN/US, is going head to head against the NBA all star skills challenge.

I just pray this won't turn out to be a flop in the US and everyone ignores this and makes NHL look like a joke. So far, it's leaning that way, BIG TIME.